Ice and Mirrors
by catherinerd29
Summary: This is another Loki/Sigyn fanfic, but set on Earth, where they are both (mortal) teenagers attending Appleby College in Oakville, Toronto. Loki and his brother Thomas are wealthy boarding students from England, and Sigyn is from a wealthy family in Toronto. In this story, Loki is an ice skater and Sigyn is a ballerina. This story also contains my own adaptations on Norse myths.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! I really appreciate the attention my first fic has gotten, so I am going to start this one, entitled ****_Ice and Glass._**** I will try my best at juggling my two stories. Also, I want to apologize if I do not use the ballet terms in this story correctly. I am drawing upon my five years as a ballerina, but it has been a while. Thank you for understanding, and thank you for your support!**

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"Relevé!" Madame King called out.

My hand lightly resting on the barre, I went on pointe.

"And arabesque!"

I complied.

"Hold, hold..."

I held my position.

After what felt like an eternity, Madame called out, "And down."

I exhaled, and lowered myself. I could already tell that ballet class was going to be the same as yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much else. Ballet was centered around repetition. In fact, my friend Lara would often joke that the biggest lie in ballet was when an instructor said, "One more time."

Luckily, today I had an excuse to miss the millionth time that our class would do the same sauté. Charlotte and George, the leaders of the Student Council, had asked me to perform during school as part of a movement to show off different student's talents. Today, at 7:00, was the rehearsal. Sure, that only cut thirty minutes from ballet, but it was better than nothing.

As the class wore on, I shot looks at the clock, and watched the minutes slowly tick by. Finally, during a series of pirouettes, I got lucky. As I spun past the clock, I glanced at it. 6:27. It was time for me to go.

"Madame?" I quietly murmured after I had finished my pirouettes around the room. "I have to leave early." I held out a note from my mother.

She took it, and after glancing over it, tersely nodded. I quickly curtsied, and hurried out of the room. Sitting on the wooden bench right outside of the room, I undid the laces of my pointe shoes, and slipped my Sperry's on. I grabbed my bag, full of different leotards, hair accessories, and my soft shoes, and threw my pointe shoes in there. Searching for my car keys, I rifled around in the bag as I headed outside into the cold March air.

I exclaimed in victory as I found my elusive keys, and dashed to my car, shivering. I should have thought ahead and brought a coat instead of just wearing my thin ballet sweater. I unlocked my car, tossed my bag into the shotgun seat, and slipped into my Cadillac.

Pulling out of the parking lot, I tightly gripped the steering wheel. "Ten and two, ten and two," I muttered to myself as I clenched the wheel. I was still nervous, having received my license only recently. I glanced at the clock, wanting to make sure I could go from Toronto to Appleby College in time.

By some miracle, traffic wasn't too bad, and I managed to reach Appleby on time, and parked by the ice rink. I heaved a sigh of relief, grabbed my bag, and ran inside. I dashed through the halls, banging through the doors of the auditorium.

"Oh, good, you made it on time!" Charlotte exclaimed, clutching a clipboard and hurrying over to me. "George couldn't come, so I've been watching everyone's routines by myself. It's been crazy."

"Yeah, I'm sure it has," I remarked, casting an eye over the other ten or so students there. I recognized a few of them, like Giselle, who was a gymnast, or Jonas and Anna, the stars of the drama club. I couldn't really name everyone else there, though I knew their faces. I was kind of shy, and on top of that, bad with names.

"Could you be a dear and change into the outfit you're wearing tomorrow?" Charlotte trilled, tucking a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear. "Thanks, I've got to run. Timothy's having technological problems."

"Oh, yeah, of course," I answered lamely. I turned, and trudged to the girl's bathroom. I dressed in my black leotard, and pulled my grey and white tutu on over it. It was one of those ridiculous ones, that stood out like a pancake around your waist. I pulled at the fabric of my thin white tights, making sure there were no wrinkles, and stuffed my other leotard in my bag.

I came back to the auditorium in time to see Jack, a hip hop dancer, finish his routine. I watched him occasionally, flicking my eyes upwards every so often as I bent over to tie my pointe shoes.

When Jack finished, Charlotte went up to the stage, and told him a few comments. I watched idly, waiting for my turn. "Sigyn! Are you ready?" she soon called out.

"Yeah." I stood up, and walked up the stairs to the stage. Bending over, I handed Charlotte my phone. "The music is titled For School under my playlists. The code is 2081."

Charlotte nodded, and ran off to plug my phone into the audio jack. I took a deep breath, and tried to ignore how everyone was staring at me. The music started, a piece I had learned recently from Swan Lake. I smiled, and launched into my performance.

This is where I felt confident, where I knew what I was doing. I could feel my smile growing as I went deeper into my routine. I poured emotion, passion, everything I had into it. I finished, my arms raised over my head triumphantly. I looked down at everyone and beamed, breathing heavily. After waiting three seconds, I walked down the stairs amid applause.

"That was great!" Charlotte exclaimed, coming up to me. "I think you're set for tomorrow." She looked back down at her clipboard, and waved her hand, a clear dismissal.

My hands behind my back, I walked off, absentmindedly on pointe. I grabbed my bag and my phone, and opened the door with my shoulder. I stood in the empty hallway, and started texting my friend Willow as I walked back to my car.

_Want to meet tomorrow?_

A few minutes later, my text alert went off. I unlocked my phone, and read Willow's text.

_Sure. When and where?_

I thought about it. _Coffee at Kerr's after school?_

_K. I'll b there :)_

I smiled, and tucked my phone into my bag. I walked down the halls, occasionally waving at the janitors or security guards, coming to a halt in front of the ice rink. The hallway I had to go down was to my left, but the sound of classical music filtering in from the ice rink caught my attention.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everybody, I'm sorry it has been so long, I've just been really busy. I just wanted to say, that if anything you find in this story is offensive, please let me know. **

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I looked hesitantly at the rink. I was curious, and wanted to go in and see what was going on, but did I have the time? I pulled out my phone and checked the time. 7:32. I had to be home by 8:00, so I had a few minutes to go see what was happening.

I walked to the rink's door, and quietly pulled it open. I slipped into the chill air of the ice rink, and once again berated myself for not wearing a coat. Holding onto the strap of my bag tightly, I walked to the wall that separated ice from the regular ground. The crisp sound of blades cutting through ice heralded the skater, and I gripped the wall with my fingertips as he came into view.

It was Loki. Who else would it be?

I watched him fly by, his arms outstretched. He neatly turned, and waited, then flew up into the air in some kind of complicated jump, his body drawn in. I don't give out praise lightly, but even I had to admit that his routine was absolutely flawless.

I had heard occasional murmurings that Loki was a great skater, but I didn't know he was this good. Most of the rumors that went around said that he was gay, or at least bi. Why else would a guy do ice skating? Personally, I had never believed those rumors.

As I watched his skating, I was unable to tear my eyes away from him. He was that good. I didn't know much about skating, but I could see that the emotion he put into it, the skill level, it was all combined to make a performance no one could look away from.

"He's good, isn't he?" a deep voice behind me said proudly.

Thomas, Loki's older brother, stood beside me, one arm resting on the wall.

"He's more than that. He's phenomenal," I whispered, not wanting to unintentionally break Loki's concentration.

Noticing us, Loki slowed down, and casually skated over. He stopped, a spray of ice going up as the blades of his skates shaved off the top layer of ice. "So, Thor, who's your new girlfriend?" he asked, one elbow on the wall holding his head, the other hand resting on the wall.

I blushed as Thomas laughed. "No!" I exclaimed.

Loki looked at me, amused. "So... not a couple."

"No, of course not, Loki. You really think I already dumped Jane?" Tom asked, hurt.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, you go through girls pretty fast."

"No. Not this time. Jane is... different," Thomas told him firmly. "I really like her."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Please. Didn't you say that about Jaimie? Or was it Kate?"

I stood awkwardly by them as they argued, my arms crossed. Finally, Tom clapped his brother on the back, making him stagger. "All you need to do is find a girl," he guffawed. "Then you'll understand."

Loki stood up and brushed ice off of his sweater. "Fat chance, Thor."

I sensed another argument was about to start, so I hesitantly reached out to shake Loki's hand. "It's probably time for me to intoduce myself. I'm Sigyn."

Surprised, he grasped my hand. "Loki. You're the ballerina, right?"

I looked down at my tutu. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yeah." A corner of Loki's mouth quirked up, before he turned back and started talking to Thomas again. Feeling a little bit unwanted, I quietly started to leave.

Loki snapped his head towards me and called out, "Going so soon?" in a savage tone.

He was bitterly aware, I realized, of his place in the school hierarchy. The outcast, the puzzle piece that didn't fit with the rest. The one person that no one wanted. He thought I was just like everyone else. He didn't expect me to do anything but leave as soon as possible.

"No," I told him. "I just... I have to be home by 8:00." I flushed, realizing just how false that sounded.

"Of course. Nice meeting you. Can't wait to see you again," Loki said scathingly. He began skating away, turning so I couldn't see his expression.

Scarlet, I hurried away. I practically ran out of there. Why did I have to be so awkward? I probably made Loki feel like shit.

As I scurried down the hallway, Thomas called out, "Sigyn! Wait!" I stopped as he grabbed my upper arm. "I wanted to apologize for Loki. He's just having crappy day."

"He must have those a lot," I muttered under my breath.

"What?"

"Nothing! Um, yeah. Just tell him that I want to say sorry for leaving so abruptly. I actually do have to be home by 8:00, or my mom will flip," I hastily covered.

Tom shot me one of those blinding smiles he want apt at giving. "No problem. Hey, are you performing during that thing tomorrow?"

I nodded.

Thomas gave me a thumbs up. "Good luck!" He ran back towards the ice rink, crashing through the doors.

I waited until the doors had slammed shut before continuing on my way. As I slid into my car, I replayed the scene over and over again in my mind. God, I felt so bad.

I'm pretty sure I ran a red light somewhere in my drive home, but I was too invested in my over analyzing of the situation to care. Now I know that sounds a bit obsessive, but I have always made things more complicated than they were.

I parked on the driveway, next to the cars that belonged to my older twin sisters, Hanna and Natalie. I grabbed my bag out of the backseat, and locked my car.

I rang the doorbell and waited for one of my six sisters to open the door. The wait got too long for me, so I rang the doorbell another seven or eight times.

"Coming!" a voice screeched. Cynthia, my penultimate sister, opened the door, a scowl on her face. "You're late," she told me prissily.

"Nice to see you too, Syn," I breathed out as I stepped into our home, closing the door behind me.

"Don't call me that!" Cynthia snapped.

"How was practice?" my eternally cheery sister, Lucy, asked me as I walked into the dining room, behind the upset Cynthia.

"Fine," I answered, my mind elsewhere.

"Are you dancing tomorrow? That's awesome!" My littlest sister, Valarie, chirped.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah. Too bad you're not in high school yet." I cut off Valarie, who was saying something about how she only had four years until high school. I sat down, and without preamble, asked, "What do you guys think about Loki?"

I didn't miss the look Cynthia shot across the table. "What about him?"

I tapped the table with a finger and felt my face heat up. "No reason. I mean, I just met him today, and..."

"He's not single, if that's what you mean. I heard that he's dating some guy from-" Cynthia started.

"We don't know that for certain. It's just a rumor," Natalie said gently.

"No, no, it doesn't matter," I blurted out before Cynthia or anyone else could retaliate. "Just wondering,"

"Mmm. Sure," my sister Sara said, playing with a Rubik cube, her feet up on the table. She set the Rubik cube down and steepled her fingers underneath her chin "You like him."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be stupid. I just met him today."

Sara smirked. "I'll admit, he's kind of hot."

"Shut up, Sherlock," I snapped, standing up. "I've got homework, I can't waste time with all of your theories."

Hanna muttered, "Someone's testy."

"What's up with her?" I faintly heard Valarie inquire as I stomped up the stairs.

"Nothing," I growled in response to the empty hallway. I shut and locked the door to my room. "Nothing at all."


	3. Chapter 3

I strode through the school, eager to beat the crowds that were released when the final bell rang. It was always good to move fast when trying to escape school. I was almost there, just a hallway and a half between me and freedom, when I hit a roadblock.

"Your technique was a little off," a snarky voice said behind me.

My shoulders stiffened, and I stopped walking. "You saw that, huh?"

"Kinda hard to notice, but yeah, I did," Loki smirked. "You especially need to stabilize your pirouettes."

"Thanks for the critiques. Why are you really here?" I asked, turning around to face him.

Loki leaned against the wall in front of me and crossed his arms. "To make a nuisance of myself, clearly."

I sighed. "Look, I really don't want to discuss the finer points of my routine right now."

"I know," Loki replied matter of factly.

"We can discuss this later, okay? I'll even give you my number."

"There isn't going to be a later. We are talking about it now," Loki stated.

I sighed again, irritated. Clearly he wasn't going to leave me alone until I listened to him. "Fine. Now is good."

Loki smiled, and it wasn't a nice one either. "Everyone always ends up seeing my point of view."

I clenched the strap of my backpack tighter. What a brat. Never mind his brilliant skating, Loki was more than a bit of an asshole. "Well? Hurry up."

"Try not to act like an amateur on stage. You embarrass all of us in the performing arts."

"I was nervous! It's not everyday that you show what you can do in front of your peers!" I protested.

"You're a performer. It's what you do," Loki retorted.

"But these are people I know. If I mess up, I know that that memory won't go away easily in their minds. I was on pins and needles," I confessed.

"You secured that thought in everyone's mind when you butchered that grande jete!" Loki mocked.

I was nearing the end of my rope. "It wasn't too bad. I just stumbled a bit on the landing."

"That will cost you a job later in your career. Ballets don't hire second rate performers," Loki taunted.

I was pissed at his arrogant attitude, and his insinuations that I wasn't good at what I loved. "I don't appreciate your foul attitude," I told him, clenching my hands, my nails digging into the skin.

"I didn't appreciate you leaving yesterday!" Loki shot back.

I raised my eyebrows. "So this is what it's really about. I _had_ to leave! My family has a curfew of 8:00 on school nights."

Loki looked ashamed, to his benefit. "I- I didn't know. I thought you had decided you didn't like me."

I softened, and grabbed a pen out of a side pocket of my backpack. "Gimme your hand," I demanded. He did, and I flipped it so his palm was facing down. I scribbled down my number, and flashed him a smile. "Does that make it a little better?"

Loki half smiled. "Yeah." He hesitated, then said, "Look, I'm sorry."

"All is forgiven, but I gotta go. Call me," I told him, mimicking a phone with my hand and putting it to my ear. I turned away, ready to walk away, when the bell rang. I groaned, and leaned back a little. The tidal wave was crashing on me in no time.

I shoved my way through the crowd, slipping through gaps most wouldn't try to get through. Thankfully, I made it through with little trouble, and dashed to my car. I sighed, relaxing, then plugged in my phone to listen to music. As I started the car, one of my favorite songs, Pressure, by the 1975, came on. I inched out of the parking lot, behind all of the other juniors and seniors who were already out, humming.

"Change in pressure," I sang, bopping along. "We're never gonna lie to you- oh God, Willow!" I had forgotten about her! I changed my route, away from home and towards downtown Oakville.

Guilt ridden, I anxiously drove to town, tapping my fingers on the wheel. I parked, and rushed into Kerr's. Willow waved at me from a chair, her dark brown bob, well, bobbing good naturedly. "Hey, Sigyn!"

I slid into the chair opposite her, and took off my sweater. "I'm sorry, I got caught up at school."

"It's fine," Willow said, waving her hand. "What was it?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her bangs shifted, covering her eyes, and she wrinkled her nose.

I laughed, and answered, "A run in with Loki. He's not that bad, honestly. Just a little prickly."

"And he's good looking, and intelligent, and tall... all of your criteria for a possible boyfriend," Willow teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, I barely know him."

"Did you give him your number?" Willow inquired, clearly already invested in the topic.

"Umm, yeah, I did," I admitted reluctantly.

She squealed, "You guys would make a ridiculously good looking couple!"

"You're right. We'd look pretty good together." For a moment I indulged in a fantasy. He would be ridiculously shy when he asked me out, but I would of course say yes, and we would be super sappy together. Maybe we'd even be high school sweethearts. That would be really romantic.

"Earth to Sigyn!" Willow snapped her fingers underneath my nose.

"Hmm?" I queried, coming out of my reverie.

"You were day dreaming," she notified me, a smirk on her face.

"Okay, okay! Maybe I think he's hot. But he doesn't have a great personality."

"On the surface. But you can reveal the true him!" Willow fantasized.

"You are a hopeless romantic," I laughed. "But for now, there is nothing! This conversation is over."

"But you haven't dated in, like, a year! It's time for you to get out there again," Willow wheedled.

"No," I told her firmly.

"Fine," she pouted. "If you won't gossip with me, the least you can do is help me with my homework." Willow leaned over, and thumped her laptop on the table. "We have a thesis to write," she said primly.

I sighed, and rested my hands on the table. "Okay. What's the paper about?"

"Chinese dynasties," Willow informed me happily.

I sighed again, this time mixing it with a groan. We spent the next half hour scouring the web for info and composing a decent thesis for her essay. I'll admit, it was mostly Willow doing the work, but, hey, it wasn't my homework. Not my paper, not my problem.

My phone started ringing, and I held up it up to give Willow a look. She giggled, "Maybe it's him!"

"Hello, this is Sigyn," I said, answering.

"Hi, it's me, Loki."

"Hey, Loki."

"Hi. You told me to call you, so, ta da!"

I snorted, and responded, "Wow. I'm truly amazed."

"You should be. I am a wonderful specimen of the human species."

I laughed. Willow gave me a thumbs up, and shut her laptop.

"Well, I am truly awed. It seems I can never reach your level of perfection." Willow wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes. "Listen, can I call you back in half an hour?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Awkwardly, I finished our conversation with a "Hear you soon."

I could hear Loki chuckling on the other end. "The same to you."

I hung up, and shoved my phone in my bag.

"Really? Hear you soon? You are so awkward," Willow complained.

"My socializing with the other sex skills are a little rusty," I admitted, blushing slightly.

"I'll say," Willow muttered. "Well, I'll leave you to your awkward socializing. Thanks for the help on the thesis." She got up, and I gave her a hug.

"See you tomorrow, Will."

"You know I hate that nickname. It's so unrefined," Willow called out as she walked out of the cafe.

I rolled my eyes, and shrugged on my sweater. As I was sliding into my car, a text came up on my phone.

Y_ou and him are meant to be! Loki and Sigyn were together in mythology. The fates drew you two together!_

I shook my head, smiling, and responded, _Points for persistence_, before throwing my phone on the shotgun seat. As far as I was concerned, for now, that topic was not to be brought up again.

Half an hour later, as I was doing my own homework, Loki called me.

"I just wanted to apologize for acting so douchily earlier," he told me as soon as I picked up the phone.

I laughed, "Is that even a word?"

"Probably not. But it describes how I acted pretty well."

"Don't worry, all is forgiven. But if you wanted, we could wipe the slate clean. You know, start over," I offered.

"I think I'd like that," Loki admitted.

"Okay then, it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow at Kerr's, say, 3:30?"

"That works for me. Um, could I drive you there? Just to cement the image of a perfect gentleman in your mind," Loki asked teasingly.

"That's sweet, but I can't accept your kind offer. I have ballet tomorrow, so I'm gonna need my car," I demurred.

"The offer still stands, just in case."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow."

I could hear the smile in Loki's voice as he said his own goodbye. "Don't you dare forget my gorgeous, yet tragically unwanted self by tomorrow."

"I promise, I won't. And you're not unwanted. I want you," I protested.

Loki chuckled, "Go over what you just said again."

I did, mouthing the words to myself. When I realized what he meant, a horrified look swept over my face, and I flushed. "No! Not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter, Loki."

I could hear him laughing uproariously as he hung up. All I could hope was that this wouldn't be brought up tomorrow at our... date. Yeah. Our date.


	4. Chapter 4

As I pulled up to Kerr's, I saw Loki. He was waiting for me on a park bench outside the cafe, his hands encased in a white crewneck sweater. His hair was adorably mussed, and I couldn't help but beam at the way his eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Sigyn, I'm glad to see that you were irresistibly drawn to my handsome face," Loki joked when I got out of my vehicle.

"How could I stay away?" I responded in a light tone.

Loki grinned, and opened the door of the cafe for me.

"Being a gentleman?"

"Always."

I stepped into Kerr's, loving its atmosphere. It was modern and cool, without being too cold and foreign. A hip teenager's paradise. We stepped into the line, which wasn't too long, given that it was right after school.

"What were you thinking of getting?" Loki asked, making small talk.

"The usual," I responded. I stepped up the barista, who gave me a sullen look from underneath her dark eyebrows, which were accentuated by the silver piercings she had ringing her right brow. "French roast, with cream and two sugars."

She nodded, and looked expectantly at Loki, raising her eyebrows as if she didn't want to waste energy actually speaking to him.

"Uh, the Notorious Blend, three sugars," he said.

"Name for the order?" the barista asked in a throaty voice, actually deigning to speak to us.

"Loki. L-O-K-I," he told her firmly.

"That'll be $9.67."

"Uh, we're paying separately," I corrected her, before Loki cut in.

"$9.67, you said?"

"Uh huh," the barista answered in a bored tone. I swear she rolled her eyes at him. Loki swiped his credit card, and the barista handed him a receipt. "Your order will be up shortly."

We stepped away, and I reprimanded him. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah I did," he told me, giving me a charming smile. "How about that there?" Loki suggested, pointing at a table in the corner.

"That looks nice. And thank you for the coffee," I answered.

"No problem. But next time, it's on you."

"There's the catch," I mock complained.

He grinned, and I dragged my chair out so I could sit in it, wincing at the noise it made as it scraped across the floors. Other patrons gave me dirty looks as I interrupted the quiet, so I quickly sat down, hanging my head.

Loki tapped his knuckles on the table, and said once again, "I have to apologize for acting like an arse. It wasn't a good day for me. That dickhead, Clancy, kept ragging on me, and I got my Spanish test back with a big fat C+ on it."

"You take Spanish? I didn't know," I told him, slightly surprised. "I had pegged you as a Latin kind of guy."

"Thor pushed me into it. He thought it would be fun. I don't give a crap about it, but you know, I did it for him."

"What's with that, anyway?" I asked.

"The Thor thing?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Loki, shouldn't my brother be Thor? The names are similar," Loki explained.

"That's pretty clever. Did you get the idea from the Marvel movies?" I inquired.

"Actually, no. It started when I stole one of Tom's comics when we were younger."

I nodded, and then the barista called out, "Order for Loki," in a monotone.

"That's us. I better go get it. Wouldn't want our coffee getting cold, would we?" Loki got up, and gave me a wink. "Don't miss me."

"I won't," I muttered, blushing. Clearly, flirting put me on edge.

Loki came back, and set my coffee down with a smile. I gave him one in return, and curled my hands around the warm cup. I sipped it, peeking a glance at him over the rim of the cup. Loki caught me looking and pulled a face. I snorted into my coffee, coughing as the liquid I had in my mouth went down the wrong pipe.

Loki chuckled at my predicament, and took a sip of his own coffee. He set it down with a dull thump. "So, what's your story?"

"About what?"

"Your name, what else?" Loki rolled his eyes. "It's not often you meet another person with the name of a Norse god."

I drummed my fingers on the table. "My dad has this weird fascination with Norse mythology, so he named all of his kids after Aesir."

"Same with my mom!" Loki exclaimed. "She's an immigrant from Scandinavia, and is super steeped in her cultural roots. Tom's only my half brother, that's why he has a normal name. My mother, Frigga, chose my name."

"What are the odds?" I remarked. "But seriously, my dad is really into it. He even calls Mom Freya, claiming she is the most beautiful woman in the world. And he's not in anyway related to anyone in that area!"

"And what about your sisters?" Loki let the question hang in the air. "What's their secret identities?"

I took a sip of my coffee. "There's Hnossa and Nanna, the twins, then me, then Lofn, Snotra, Syn, and Var."

"Middle names?"

I chose not to answer for a few seconds. "Why all this grilling for personal information? I'm pretty sure guys going out on a date with a girl don't try and delve into her personal life."

"Then is this a date?" Loki smirked.

"I don't know. Maybe. If we wanted it to be," I said, trying to be casual. "Now, if I tell you about my family, you tell me about yours."

"Deal." Loki leaned back in his chair.

"Okay. Time for Iwalden 101. So, Mom chose middle names similar to our first names, just more "proper". Like, Hnossa Hanna, or Lofn Lucy," I explained.

"That sounds stupid," Loki snorted.

"It is," I agreed fervently.

"What's your full name?" Loki inquired.

"Sigyn Silvia Iwalden," I said, deadpan. "All of my sisters choose to go by their middle names, but I like my real name. It makes me unique." Loki looked at me thoughtfully. Uncomfortable with his penetrating stare, I switched topics.  
"What about your parents?"

A dark look crossed Loki's face. "Mom's great. I try to contact her often, so she knows how I'm progressing and all that. I think you'd really like her."

"And your dad? He's an entrepreneur, right?" I prompted.

"He's... fine," Loki said, hesitating.

I didn't push any deeper. Obviously this was an uncomfortable topic for him. "What about your skating?"

Loki's face brightened. He clearly loved to talk about it. "It's one of the only sports I'm actually good at, and the only one I care about. My coach said that if I wanted to, I could probably make the Olympics."

"Wow! I didn't know you were that good! Well, I mean you seemed really good, but I don't really know much about skating. I didn't mean to say that I thought you were bad," I fumbled.

"Really smooth," Loki laughed.

I laughed as well. We were silent for a while after that. "What do you think about uni?" Loki asked me, abruptly, steering clear of his family.

"University? Umm, I don't really know, actually. I think I'd like to attend school abroad, though. I know that much."

"Where were you thinking?" Loki asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"Cambridge. Or Oxford, or maybe Richmond University."

"All in England. How interesting."

"I'm a bit of an Anglophile," I revealed, doing a bit of the jazz hands. "Love my tea, love my crumpets, love my Brits."

"Love your Brits, eh?" Loki smirked, raising an eyebrow.

I ducked my head. Oops.

"Don't worry, I won't make a move. Yet," Loki promised me. "I wouldn't want you to fall head over heels for me."

I laughed, beet red. "Probably a good idea." I escaped from the awkward situation, however, when my phone buzzed. Picking it up, I ignored Cynthia's text and stared at the clock. Shit. Time had flown by, and I had lost track of it. If I didn't move now, I would be late to ballet. "I'm sorry, I've got to go," I apologized, getting up. "I had a lovely time, though."

"No, it's okay," Loki reassured me, getting up as well. "Let me walk you out to your car."

"Thanks," I breathed out.

"No problem," Loki responded, holding the door open for me. We stepped out into the chilly air, and I gave him a quick hug.

"We should do this again!" I called out as I unlocked my car.

"I'd enjoy that," Loki told me. "Text me."

I smiled, and slid into my car. In the enclosed space, an unfamiliar scent pervaded my nostrils, a warm mix of cardamon, nutmeg, and anise. Loki's scent, I realized. He smelled really nice.

As I pulled out of my parking space, I looked in the rear view mirror to see Loki standing on the curb, his arms wrapped around his chest. I smiled, and focused back on the road. Loki was actually really sweet, underneath the prickly exterior.

During ballet, my attention kept slipping. After I had messed up my timing for the fifth time, Madame yelled at me, "Sigyn, what's wrong with you today? Wipe that stupid look off of your face and concentrate!"

I started, looking at the mirror. I did look vacant. Shaking my head, I tried to stop thinking about Loki's smile, or the way he smelled, or how soft his sweater had felt when we hugged, or how his hair was adorable when messy, or how polite he was, or...

"Sigyn! What did I just tell you!" Madame screeched.

Inwardly, I groaned. This was going to be a long class.


	5. Chapter 5

Tired and annoyed, I stomped down the stairs of the studio, grumbling. That damn ballet lesson. I'm pretty sure Madame was flabbergasted at how much I had fucked up. And all because of Loki... no one had ever messed with my brain like that. I was so wrapped up in myself that I didn't notice the person right in front of me, who I bumped into, dropping my bag.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," I apologized, bending down to grab it.

"No, please, allow me," the guy insisted, reaching for the bag. He snatched it up, and handed it to me. I opened my mouth to thank him, then rapidly closed it when I saw his face. Just my luck. "Hey, Sigyn," Theo said sheepishly, his chocolate brown eyes refraining from meeting my cold, icy blue ones.

I stood back up, ramrod straight. "Theo. I haven't seen you in a while at the studio."

"Oh, no, I have a class later tonight. I just came early to, uh, pick up my girlfriend."

"What's the unfortunate girl's name?" I asked coolly.

Theo flushed. "Mary. I think she's in your class."

"Yeah." Mary was this slender, delicate slip of a girl, who looked like a china doll, with porcelain white skin, soft blonde hair, and blue eyes.

"She's good, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"So, um, how's your family?" Theo asked, casting around for another topic.

"They're the same. Dad's busy, Mom's being her usual helicopter self, sisters the same as the last time you talked to them," I informed him. "How's your family doing?"

"Uh, good."

"That's nice."

An awkward silence stretched between us, broken by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

"There's Mary!" Theo said, looking behind me. Clearly he was happy to escape our tension filled conversation.

I turned, smiling, and told her stiffly, "Hello, Mary. I was just chatting with Theo."

She looked at me, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Okay..."

"Well, I'm going on my way. I'll require my bag to do so." I held out my hand, and Theo plopped the strap of my bag on my palm. I snapped my hand closed, and once again pasted a polite smile on my face. "Goodbye." I brushed past Theo, raising a hand in farewell. I slammed into the glass door that led outside, and entered a drizzling rain. I walked to the parking lot, my head bowed as I tried to avoid getting too wet.

"Hey, wait, Sigyn!"

I huffed, my hand on the handle of my door. "What is it?" I asked, annoyed.

"Look, I haven't seen you in a while. Could we just try to wipe the slate clean and start over as friends?" Theo suggested.

I bit my lip. "I don't know about that. You- you hurt me pretty badly."

"And I'm sorry, I really am. It was a dumb ass move, I should never have done that."

"Can you just go away? I can't make a decision right now. I'll text you if I do."

"Ok." Theo's shoulders slumped, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. I stared at him as he walked away, a mess of emotions roiling through my body.

Theo Crisor was my ex. As you might have figured out, it didn't end well. We had met at a party hosted by my friend, Lara, and had kind of hit it off instantly. His chestnut waves of hair and chiseled good looks were a big thumbs up, plus he had seemed reasonably intelligent, kind, and thoughtful. Damn, was I wrong. We had been dating for about three months when I stumbled across him and a curvy girl with big green eyes and a full mouth named Catalina making out. In that instant, my perfect relationship fell apart. I cut myself off from Theo, refusing to even look at him if we passed by each other. Eventually, he cornered me, and I blew up, revealing what I knew. Shocked, he let me pass, and the typical break up happened. Waterworks, comforting words from friends and family, and lots of space.

I sighed, leaning back in my seat. I wasn't ready to forgive him. For me, loyalty is the biggest thing in a relationship, and he had shattered that rule into pieces. I sighed again, and started up my car. I glanced at my phone. Two messages from Lara, one from Annie, and four and a phone call from my sister, Cynthia. I sighed, and promptly checked the other messages.

Lara had expressed shock at my performance today. _Wow, what was up with you during ballet? I've never seen Madame so pissed._  
_You have a special talent, my friend._  
I lied, _Just a long day_

Annie reminded me, _Girl, you missed our weekly boxing session. Shame on you_

I hit myself on the forehead before replying, _Oops, I forgot. I had a date ;)_

And now... Cynthia. I better call her back, it might be something important. Pulling out of the parking lot, I did so.

"Where have you been!" she yelled as a greeting.

"Hi to you too."

She ignored me, and continued, "You usually come back home before ballet. Where were you? Were you... actually engaging in social activity?"

"Don't be so over dramatic," I told her. "I went somewhere with Willow the day before."

I could hear her rolling her eyes. "Yeah, but, y'know, that's Willow."

"Why so desperate for my attention, Cinnamon?" I teased.

"I hate that nickname! It's my little kid name, drop it. I'm thirteen now," Cynthia protested.

"You're still my kid sister. Now, get back on topic."

She huffed, "Mom wants to know what you want for dinner."

"Something warm, with potatoes," I informed Cynthia.

"Too late, we're having wild rice soup. So, what'd you do?"

"I, uh, I went to Kerr's with somebody," I confessed.

"Ooh, who was it?" Cynthia inquired eagerly, her love of gossip taking over. "Was it a guy?"

"Yeah," I replied warily.

"Tell me tell me tell me!"

"I'm not gonna tell you."

"Please?" Cynthia whined. "I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Okay... just for the record, this is against my better judgement. I met up with Loki."

She screeched, "You went on a date with LOKI? How'd that happen?"

I screamed, jerking the wheel. "Ohmyholyshit! Goddammit, Cinnamon! You can't scare me when I'm driving!"

"Are you two dating now?" Cynthia queried.

"Wait, Sigyn's dating someone!" a voice from the background faintly exclaimed.

"Oh my god, is that Hanna?"

"Yeah. Oh, right. You're on speaker," Cynthia remembered.

"Get me off speakerphone!" I raged.

"Is she or is she not dating Loki?" Hanna called out.

"I am not, this conversation is done, I am pissed, goodbye!" I hung up abruptly, huffing.

When I pulled up into the driveway, I felt like a little black cloud should have been floating above my head, shooting thunderbolts. I parked, and emerged from my car in a fury, slamming the car door. I crashed into the house, feeling like a force of nature. A really annoyed one.

"Hi, Sigyn!" Valarie chirped as I thumped my bag onto the floor. My mood softened a little when I saw her excited little face.

I asked, ruffling her hair, "Hey you. How was your day?"

"It was great! We got doughnuts in class because we reached 100 pages and we also had gym class and we played volleyball and it was fun!" Valarie responded enthusiastically.

"That's great. Where's everybody else?"

"At the dinner table. We're waiting for you," Valarie informed me.

"Great," I muttered. I walked into the dining room, half seriously upset and annoyed, half nervous. It was kind of eerie when I walked in. Everybody was sitting at the table, everything perfect. My mom stood up when I walked in, greeting me with a smile. "Hello, Sigyn darling."

"Where's Dad?" I asked after giving her a hug.

"Oh, he had to go into the office. But that's the life of a successful attorney!" my mother answered brightly.

"'Kay." I sat down, in between Natalie and Sara, and picked up my spoon. As if that was some secret signal, everyone else did the same. We ate silently, with only the occasional comment on how good the soup was. Even Valarie and Cynthia, the two chatterboxes in the family, somehow maintained the silence.

Once I had finished, and I was last since I was a slow eater, I dropped my spoon in the empty bowl and looked up to see everyone's eye trained on me. "Okay, this is weird. What's going on?"

My mother started the conversation with her usual tact. "Cynthia simply informed me that you were beginning to, ah, see a young man named Loki."

"Called it," Sara muttered under her breath, elbowing me.

Mom shot Sara one of her looks that made it seem like daggers were going to shoot out of her eyes. Sara wilted under her gaze, and Mom continued. "I just wondered how you came to this decision.

"Well, um, first of off, Cynthia's wrong. I'm not dating anybody," I protested. "I just went out to meet a friend who happened to be a guy at Kerr's to get to know him better."

My mother nodded her head. "I see. Did anything else happen today? You seemed like you were in a bad mood when you stormed in here today."

"I ran into Theo today," I grunted. "He wants to start on a new page." Natalie lay a comforting hand on mine.

"Certainly not," Mom snapped. "Did you accept his offer?"

"I said I'd think about it."

"Well, I will not allow him another crack at shattering your heart."

"You always have to give people second chances, though," Natalie argued.

The rest of her siblings rolled their eyes. Time for Natalie's "Compassion and caring mends anything" schpeel.

"He made an offer, he clearly realized the error of his ways. I think it'd be good for Sigyn to at least give him a chance, just to see if he was sincere. I know Theo made a bad choice, but I think we need to stretch out a forgiving hand."

"Based on past experiences whenever we listen to Nat when she spews this garbage, I think this is a horrible idea," Sara advised.

"I agree with Sara," Cynthia yelled.

"I'm throwing my lot in with Cinnamon and Sara. I don't think Sigyn should meet with Theo. She's happier when she's not with him," Lucy said.

"This time, I think Nat has a point," Hanna hesitantly put forward.

"Oh my god, you always agree with her! That's so predictable," Sara moaned.

Cynthia groaned and rested her forehead against the table.

"Look, I just think based on Nat's reasoning that it would be good for Sigyn this out of her system," Hanna defended.

"I think that it's Sigyn's choice!" Valarie chirped.

My mom took this as a chance to jump in and end the argument before it got out of hand. "I think Valarie has a very good point. Ultimately, after we've given her all the advice we can, it's Sigyn's decision."

"So? Whatcha gonna do?" Cynthia asked, directing her attention at me.

I looked down at my bowl. "I don't know yet."

"Oh, come on, tell us!" Cynthia whined.

"I can't say anything when I don't have a clear opinion on it yet!" I shot back.

"Well you don't have to be so rude about it," she sulked.

I stood up, the scrape of the chair against her precious wood floors making my mother wince. "I have homework to do," I announced as an excuse to leave the table.

"Of course," Mom remembered. "Put your bowl on the counter, though."

The rest of us rose, and a mob of seven girl placed their bowls in the vicinity of the sink, and raced off to do whatever they needed to do. I grabbed my bags, ballet and school, and sauntered upstairs, into the room that I had once shared with Lucy. I was sharing with her for a week while Hanna and Natalie visited from the States, since colleges there gave students a week or two off in November.

I pulled out my laptop, and sat on the bed that lay underneath the big window in our room. Exams were coming up, and it never hurt to start studying in advance. Lucy entered silently, and sat next to me with her own laptop. I took a glance at her screen.

"Chemistry, huh?"

Lucy sighed and gave me a smile. "Yeah. It's my worst subject, but it's required. What're you doing?"

"Studying for the Calculus exam," I answered.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "I've heard that it's awful. But I suppose you knew that."

"Oh yeah. Everybody does," I laughed. "But I'm starting to study three weeks early, so with a little bit of luck, I'll do okay."

"If I follow your lead, I'm sure I can do okay to!"

I smiled, and turned back to my equations. Eventually, when my brain was starting to hurt and I was getting what I feared was a permanent furrow between my eyebrows, Lucy cleared her throat. I welcomed the intrusion, closing my laptop. "What's up?"

"For what it's worth, I just wanted to tell you that I hope you're happy with Loki," she told me softly.

I blushed. "We're not a couple!" I protested.

"Still, you care about him already. I can tell."

My blush deepened, and I gently shoved her. "Go bury your head in a hole, idiot."

Lucy laughed, and I smiled, my face still bright red.


End file.
